bearing Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun relevant relation or interconnection
    • those issues have no bearing on our situation
  2. noun the direction or path along which something moves or along which it lies
    aim; heading.
  3. noun dignified manner or conduct
    presence; mien; comportment.
  4. noun characteristic way of bearing one's body
    carriage; posture.
    • stood with good posture
  5. noun heraldry consisting of a design or image depicted on a shield
    charge; heraldic bearing; armorial bearing.
  6. noun a rotating support placed between moving parts to allow them to move easily
  7. verb have
    bear.
    • bear a resemblance
    • bear a signature
  8. verb cause to be born
    have; deliver; birth; bear; give birth.
    • My wife had twins yesterday!
  9. verb put up with something or somebody unpleasant
    stomach; brook; support; put up; tolerate; bear; abide; endure; stick out; suffer; digest; stand.
    • I cannot bear his constant criticism
    • The new secretary had to endure a lot of unprofessional remarks
    • he learned to tolerate the heat
    • She stuck out two years in a miserable marriage
  10. verb move while holding up or supporting
    bear.
    • Bear gifts
    • bear a heavy load
    • bear news
    • bearing orders
  11. verb bring forth, "The apple tree bore delicious apples this year"
    turn out; bear.
    • The unidentified plant bore gorgeous flowers
  12. verb take on as one's own the expenses or debts of another person
    assume; take over; accept; bear.
    • I'll accept the charges
    • She agreed to bear the responsibility
  13. verb contain or hold; have within
    carry; hold; bear; contain.
    • The jar carries wine
    • The canteen holds fresh water
    • This can contains water
  14. verb bring in
    pay; bear; yield.
    • interest-bearing accounts
    • How much does this savings certificate pay annually?
  15. verb have on one's person
    wear; bear.
    • He wore a red ribbon
    • bear a scar
  16. verb behave in a certain manner
    acquit; comport; bear; behave; conduct; carry; deport.
    • She carried herself well
    • he bore himself with dignity
    • They conducted themselves well during these difficult times
  17. verb have rightfully; of rights, titles, and offices
    hold; bear.
    • She bears the title of Duchess
    • He held the governorship for almost a decade
  18. verb support or hold in a certain manner
    carry; hold; bear.
    • She holds her head high
    • He carried himself upright
  19. verb be pregnant with
    carry; gestate; have a bun in the oven; bear; expect.
    • She is bearing his child
    • The are expecting another child in January
    • I am carrying his child
  20. adjective (of a structural member) withstanding a weight or strain

WordNet

Bear"ing noun
Definitions
  1. The manner in which one bears or conducts one's self; mien; behavior; carriage.
    I know him by his bearing. Shak.
  2. Patient endurance; suffering without complaint.
  3. The situation of one object, with respect to another, such situation being supposed to have a connection with the object, or influence upon it, or to be influenced by it; hence, relation; connection.
    But of this frame, the bearings and the ties, The strong connections, nice dependencies. Pope.
  4. Purport; meaning; intended significance; aspect.
  5. The act, power, or time of producing or giving birth; as, a tree in full bearing; a tree past bearing.
    [His mother] in travail of his bearing. R. of Gloucester.
  6. (Arch.) (a) That part of any member of a building which rests upon its supports; as, a lintel or beam may have four inches of bearing upon the wall. (b) The portion of a support on which anything rests. (c) Improperly, the unsupported span; as, the beam has twenty feet of bearing between its supports.
  7. (Mach.) (a) The part of an axle or shaft in contact with its support, collar, or boxing; the journal. (b) The part of the support on which a journal rests and rotates.
  8. (Her.) Any single emblem or charge in an escutcheon or coat of arms -- commonly in the pl.
    A carriage covered with armorial bearings. Thackeray.
  9. (Naut.) (a) The situation of a distant object, with regard to a ship's position, as on the bow, on the lee quarter, etc.; the direction or point of the compass in which an object is seen; as, the bearing of the cape was W. N. W. (b) pl. The widest part of a vessel below the plank-sheer. (c) pl. The line of flotation of a vessel when properly trimmed with cargo or ballast. Syn. -- Deportment; gesture; mien; behavior; manner; carriage; demeanor; port; conduct; direction; relation; tendency; influence.

Webster 1913